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© 2004-2006 Andrew McCabe. If you've any questions or comments please
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Comprehensive
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Catalogues
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Archaeology
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studies
Provincial and
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Books and Websites
about Books
RR_Bronze_Rarities
Comprehensive
& Period Catalogues & Major Sylloges
Essential
M. H. Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage (London, 1974).
The standard reference book on Roman
Republican coinage, accurate and thorough, backed by comprehensive research
evidence, this is the first book that gets the overall story correct in all its
fundamentals although there remain specialist areas of debate. Excellent plates
illustrating many rare varieties, often illustrated in preference to common
varieties. Plates in the first (1974) edition are noticeably better than the
reprints, and worth paying a premium – in case of doubt the 1974 edition can be
identified by its (fragile) paper dust-jacket, missing from the reprints.
In covering the entire scope of the coinage
Crawford has drawn from a wide range of existing studies, adding his own
analysis to fill in the gaps. Dating in the pre-150 BC era is based on the
foundation research by Thomsen in "Early Roman Coinage". Post 150-BC
dating is based on hoard evidence from Crawford’s own “Roman Republic Coin
Hoards”. Historical background is covered only by exception where conclusions
differ from the discussion in Grueber’s British Museum catalogue. Crawford
draws on many other specific studies, for example Kraay and Alföldi as regards
the arrangement of 44BC Caesar portrait coins which Crawford reasseses, or
Buttrey’s various studies on Imperatorial issues. Specific new studies fill in
the gaps, for example (a) a tentative proposal for arrangement of the
quadrigatus issues (b) approximate size (relative commonness) of denarius
issues based on statistical estimates of die-counts and inferences from
economic history (however Crawford provides no information on the relative
rarity of small issues, which are of less interest to him as having little
economic impact). (c) early struck bronzes, particularly "difficult"
series such as the various Luceria coins (d) assignment of the anonymous
denarius to many discreet issues based on style (e) analysis of 1st century
coins with symbols, such as the Crepusia types.
Crawford is not an easy read. As an example,
in distinguishing the many types of anonymous denarius he does not specify how
the types differ from each other, instead the reader is expected to study the
photos carefully and work out the stylistic or type differences for themselves.
Another example is the way in which the chronological and mint analysis is
presented up-front, separate from the catalogue, and sometimes in highly
abbreviated form. Nevertheless its general reliability makes it essential for
any serious student of RR coins. The majority of references on this website
consist either of studies preceding Crawford (1974) providing evidence that
supports his conclusions, or post-1974 studies with new evidence that modifies
his conclusions. Few pre-1974 studies that disagree with Crawford have stood
the test of time, which is a testament to Crawford’s good judgment in reviewing
the work of others.
The dating (and related evidence) remain
generally undisputed 30 years after publication, with a number of specific
exceptions: (1) earliest didrachms which Burnett in Historia Numorum Italy
dates somewhat earlier than Crawford (2) relative and absolute dating of the
earliest anonymous denarii that Crawford assigns to a narrow range 211-206BC,
which are believed to cover a longer timescale after 211BC, see Hersh (3)
dating in the 150-90 BC era for which HB Mattingly has proposed many
refinements in a series of studies republished in “From Coins to History” (4)
dating in the 50s, 60s and 70s BC, which lacks hoard evidence and has been
significantly revised since discovery of the Mesagne hoard, refer Hersh,
Walker, Mattingly, Harlan (5) a substantially revised dating and locations of
49-42BC coins has been proposed by Woytek in “Arma et Nummi” (6) chronology of
Octavians Imp Caesar and Caesar Divi F, now considered Imperatorial period,
refer the new RIC1 and HCRI. With the exception of the Caesar Divi F and Imp
Caesar coins where there is a definitive catalogue that post-dates RRC (RIC1,
1979), Crawford’s dating is generally quoted unaltered in books, catalogues and
websites because there is still debate and disagreement over the other proposed
adjustments.
Aside from these examples I’d note some other areas that
today still have significant scope for future study (1) the quadrigatus,
Crawford’s arrangement being tentative and not yet based on die studies, and no
easy to apply (2) bronzes that straddle the denarius reform date, both
anonymous types and those from Luceria and Sicily (3) anonymous post-reform
bronzes, almost all classified as Cr. Series 56, which vary widely in style,
module and presumably dating and merit the same treatment that Crawford
provides to the different styles of anonymous silver (4) Italian small change,
both anonymous types and those attributed to Italian cities – their dating and
relationship with the mainstream bronze coinage is unclear (5) mint locations
and dating of coins associated with the travels of the Imperators between 49 and
30 BC, the varying views of Crawford, Sear and Woytek illustrating the
uncertainty.
C.A. Hersh reviewed RRC in the 1977
Numismatic Chronicle - Hersh's views essentially form a first revision to RRC,
with Essays for Hersh (1998) being the second major revision. R.Russo in
"Essays Hersh" provides a significant additional corpus of bronzes
not listed in Crawford, in many cases completing series that missed only one or
two denominations. An updated list of RR bronzes including Russo’s additions is
included on my website:
http://hometown.aol.co.uk/ahala/RomanRepublicBronzesRarities.htm
David Sear, the History and Coinage of the Roman Imperators, 49-27 BC (1988)
Very
readable historical analysis that presents the coins alongside the history. It
restores to the main Republican series many imperatorial coins missing from
Crawford including Antony's Fleet Bronzes, Octavian's Imp Caesar and Caesar
Divi F (as per RIC dating) and Antony's Cistophori. The numismatic analysis
generally relies on the work of others but Sear makes some well-informed
judgment calls as to precise (to the season) dating and mint locations. Even
where opinions on dating and mints differ between numismatists (Crawford,
Woytek), the close association of coins with historical events in this book
makes it a useful baseline against which to interpret the views of others.
There is a thorough discussion of the types and their interpretation, this
aspect being generally lacking in Crawford. The reference list of provincial
coins of the imperatorial period will save a lot of work for collectors
who don't wish to wade through RPC to work out what's Republican and what's
Imperial - though I find it inconsistent (also in RPC) to include local coins
without any Roman magistrates name or any typological reference to the Roman
Imperium. Beautifully presented with illustrations of every coin in the text.
Essential.
E. A. Sydenham et al., Coinage of the Roman Republic (London, 1952).
An attractive single volume handbook on Roman Republican coins –
although dating for earlier coins has been superseded, it remains useful.
Easier to use than Crawford because its column layout allows you to scan the
listings more quickly and it has a more intuitive numbering system. The
division of the coinage into coherent series with common styles or issuers
allows you to easily grasp the outline of the coinage, and all the information
on a given coin or series is presented in the one place, whereas in Crawford
you have to hop between the catalogue and the explanatory text. The analysis
and relative chronology of the helmet-styles of the early denarius remains
valid today (although the absolute chronology is incorrect). Logical and
inclusive coverage of Imperatorial coins, close to Sear's HCRI. Also useful for
Social War coinage which is omitted from Crawford. Sydenham's rarity estimates
are still the standard, although I’ve published updated rarities for struck
bronzes elsewhere on this website. Excellent plates in the original, terrible
reduced-size plates in the Durst reprint, which should be avoided. On the
downside, the dating is clearly incorrect for pre-150BC coins, the rationale
for assigning mints to "Italy" or "Rome" has not withstood
the test of recent hoard evidence, far fewer coins are illustrated than
Crawford - almost no bronzes - and you have to take a lot of the chronological
analysis on trust, it is not explained in the book.
H. A. Grueber, Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum (London, 1910; reprinted 1970).
Still extremely useful for the historical
analysis of types illustrating family history, which remain valid today and
contain much more information than in Crawford. Crawford addresses historical
links only by exception where the BMCRR historical analysis is out of date, so
a curious collector should have both books. Indeed Crawford encouraged the BM
with the 1970 reprint so that it would be easily available when RRC was
published. It has many excellent plates particularly useful as a back-up to
Crawford's plates for bronzes, for non-mainstream coins, and for type
varieties. Coins not in the BM collection are illustrated as line drawings in
the text, which adds to its readability. For most types there are multiple
copies listed in many varieties with weights specified, so it is in many cases
possible to match a coin with its exact variety in the BM catalogue. This can
only be done with a corpus such as the BM catalogue that refers to actual coins
rather than generic types. Crawford usually references BM coins as type
examples so BMCRR can be referred to for details. The numismatic analysis
(evidence of dating) has generally been superseded and should be ignored, but
this book is useful for many other reasons. As usual the 1910 original has
somewhat better plates than the reprint but the reprint is still well produced
with good plates, and also includes a useful Appendix discussing and
illustrating important 20th century acquisitions so is
numismatically more valuable.
F. Berger, Die Münzen der römischen Republik im
Kestner-Museum Hannover (Hannover, 1989).
4000
coins illustrated, mostly rare bronzes that are not to be found in any other
published source (perhaps with the exception of the Goodman collection). High
quality photos on the page facing their description therefore very easy to use.
Catalogued according to Crawford, it is an essential illustrated companion when
referring to bronzes. A significant number of later bronzes in the collection
are classified as unattributed local types – falling outside the stylistic
boundaries of Crawford’s RRC, which highlights an important area for future
study. The layout of the plates allows you to understand stylistic matches and
differences better than any other catalogue. Difficult to find, worth a
significant premium to acquire.
Roman Silver Coins, Volume 1 - Republic to Augustus. Seaby, London 1978
This
is an essential collectors handbook, Babelon in a small volume with excellent
photographs, and very easy to use due to being sorted by family name. It
includes many varieties of coins missing from Sear's millenium edition, and its
pricing is a better indication of relative rarity than Sear's. The 1978 edition
was republished in 2005 (unchanged, hence the RIC numbers for Octavian’s coins still
refer to the old RIC1). The 1952 first edition, with line drawings, is also
worth having, as it contains useful information on how relative prices have
moved over the last 50 years.
Historia Numorum - Italy, NK Rutter, British Museum 2001
Important for the dating of early Roman coinage, and
fundamental for understanding the coins of the Italian communities after the
Roman conquest. It places the early didrachm and aes grave coinage of Rome in
an Italian context and updates Crawford’s dating for this period based on
Burnett’s more recent studies, though the dating assumptions remain
contentious. The bronzes of Brundisium, Paestum, Cosa and other Italian
communities are early provincial coins so HNI can be seen as the predecessor of
RPC for Italy – any collection of RR bronzes should include some representative
examples. Many still-quoted books on Greek or Italian coinage include
long-discredited dating based on a 269BC introduction of the denarius and
associated Italian bronze coinages, and HNI is a badly need update to their
dating. Also useful for Social War coinage. 42 good plates, illustrating a
large sample of types – SNG France 6 is a useful source of pictures for types
not illustrated.
Burnett, Amandry, Ripollès, Roman Provincial Coinage I. From the death of Caesar to the death of Vitellius, British Museum Press, 2 vols, 1992
A
fundamental reference, it covers many coins of the Imperatorial period (Sear's
HCRI provides a complete list of RPC entries for the Imperatorial period),
accurate and up to date analysis in many cases building on earlier work by
Grant in FITA: see my comments. Excellent plates in a separate volume. Due to
its encyclopaedic coverage its can be difficult to get an overview: there is a
68 page introductory section that comments on authorities, production and
circulation, denominations and types but it presumes some familiarity with
provincial coinage. The analysis is critical and thorough and the authors do
not hesitate to place coins in the "uncertain" category - there's not
much speculation. A small and inessential supplement volume was published in
1998, mostly consisting of varieties to types already in the main volume. RPC1
is scheduled for another reprint (at about $325) early 2006. Historical prices
when out-of-print have spiked to $750 or more so don’t wait around. Essential.
Useful
Coins of Macedonia and Rome: Essays in Honour
of Charles Hersh (“Essays Hersh”). Burnett, Wartenberg & Witschonke
London 1998
This is an update to Crawford on many aspects of Roman
Republican research, sufficiently comprehensive to include it in the
“catalogue” listings in this website. Contents (discussed elsewhere on this
website) include (1) Selinus and the quadrigatus, by Michael Crawford; (2) The
Mars/eagle and thunderbolt gold and Ptolemaic involvement in the Second Punic
War, by A.R. Meadows; (3) More evidence for the early denarius, by Richard
Schaefer; (4) Some late ‘early’ Republican quinarii, by Richard Witschonke; (5)
Unpublished Roman Republican bronze coins, by R. Russo; (6) Roman Republican
coinage c.150-90 B.C., by H. B. Mattingly; (7) The coinage of the Social War,
by Andrew Burnett; (8) Coinage, credit and the aerarium in the 80’s BC, by
J.H.C. Williams; (9) The coinage of Bibulus again, by Michel Amandry; (10) A
group of Eraviscan denarii, by Robert Freeman; (11) Roman Republican coins in
the Manchester Museum, by Keith Sugden; (12) Overstrikes and imitative conages
in central Italy in the late Republic, by C. Stannard
E. J.
Haeberlin, Aes Grave. Das Schwergeld Roms und Mittelitaliens (Frankfurt,
1910).
Two volumes
with text and plates. The plates volume has high-quality illustrations of
thousands of genuine Aes Grave (Haeberlin included all the Aes Grave he could
find) with accurate weights. I use it for (a) a guide for identifying genuine
aes grave: style, manufacturing technique and metrology (b) visual indication
of frequency / rarity of various examples (c) weight ranges, uniquely helpful
in considering the libral-sextantal reductions from 225-212BC. Originals are very expensive ($3000+) – a
facsimile edition has been reprinted by Forni at €438, which I haven’t seen so
can’t comment on its quality.
SNG British Museum Spain, PB Purefoy, A Meadows, British Museum 2001
Important for the provincial coinage of Spain during
the Republic, struck on Roman standard and paid to Roman legionaries in lieu of
regular Roman coins. Copiously illustrated. It should replace Burgos' catalogue
as the standard reference for the series. Read with Knapp, R.C., The date and
purpose of the Iberian denarii', NC 1977.
Corpus Nummorum Romanorum Monetazione Republicana,
A. Banti, 9 Vols Firenze. 1982
Photographic corpus of RR coins, principally silver,
taken from auction catalogues, museum and private collections, arranged by
family name. Italian with English translations. Particularly strong on very
rare coins not seen in many auctions, e.g. it has got multiple examples of
Brutus' EID MAR and multiple illustrations of types with complex varieties or
symbols, therefore it is still very valuable even in the age of online
databases such as WildWinds and CoinArchives. Also useful for establishing the
auction provenance of rare coins as it lists the source of every photo. The
quality of the photos is variable depending on the original source.
Corpus Numorum Romanorum Vols 1-6, Banti, Simonetti, Firenze 1972-74
The first six
volumes of the CNR Roman Imperial set (out of 18 volumes in total) cover the
Imperatorial and Augustan period, with the same approach as the CNR Roman
Republic set.
M. Grant, From Imperium to Auctoritas (FITA) Cambridge, 1946
Covers
imperatorial issues from Julius Caesar to Augustus. Superseded by RPC, but
interesting as it group coins by type of issuer (e.g. local magistrates,
imperators) and discusses each coin as an essay within its historical context.
Still useful if bought as an addendum to RPC, which has many references to
FITA. The 1946 edition is difficult to find. The 1969 reprint is widely
available but has poor-quality reduced-size plates, however if you already own
RPC1 and want FITA for the narratives then the lack of plates is not such a
drawback. I've read elsewhere that Grant's deductions are not always watertight
and indeed some of the historical deductions seem rather speculative, but if in
doubt you can always refer to RPC.
Roman Imperial Coinage Vol.1 31BC-AD69, CHV
Sutherland, London 1984
Catalogues
the Caesar Divi F and Imp Caesar coins of the last five years of the Republic
(32-27BC), inexplicably omitted from Crawford. The general introduction and
discussion of dates and mints for these coins is of interest but RIC1 is
otherwise quite light on text, referring for its numismatic evidence to
Sutherland’s “Octavian’s Gold and Silver Coinage from c.32 to 27BC” (Quaderni
Ticinesi 1976, offprint republished 1997). If you can find a copy of the latter
and already own Sear’s HCRI then RIC1 is not essential.
Recherches
sur la Monnaie Romaine Depuis son Origine Jusqu a la Mort d'Auguste, Baron
d'Ailly, Lyons 1864-69, 4 vols, 1100 pages, 114 plates, Forni reprint
In the absence of a catalogue of the massive Paris
collection this is as good as you can get. Excellent and stylistically accurate
line illustrations, particularly of bronzes which may not be found elsewhere,
though I have been told that in some instances rare but worn coins have been
erroneously completed in the illustration which makes the plates less reliable
than they should be. Much of the analysis (French) is still worth reading 140
years after publication, it forms building blocks to 20th century research on
bronzes. The Forni reprint is adequate for a line-drawing-illustrated book
although some plates are rather washed out.
M. von Bahrfeldt, "Nachträge und
Berichtigungen zur Münzkunde der römischen Republik".
This
set of essays is a commentary on Babelon and comes in four parts published in
1897, 1898, 1900 and 1918 of which I've the first two parts in one volume,
analysing Babelon's treatment on each family series. German. Rare. I am advised
that its analysis is perceptive and remains valid today.
Less
Useful
E. Babelon, Description historique et
chronologique de monnaies de la république romaine (Paris, 1885).
The handbook
on which the "family name" organisation and numbering of Roman
Republican coins is based. French. Except for the prow series it does not
include aes grave, and has limited coverage of the early post-212BC coinage
with symbols / letters. Its line drawings of scarcer RR bronzes fill in some
gaps not covered by other books and I occasionally refer to it to clarify the
original arrangement behind Roman Silver Coins, but otherwise it has been
superseded by other handbooks. However Bahrfeldt’s commentary on Babelon
(1897-1918) remains important.
Monnaies
sous L'Empire Romaine, Vol.1 Pompey-Domitian, 2nd ed. Henry Cohen, 1880
Outdated and not worth paying for, but does have the merit
that it is available as a free download on the web so may be of interest for
collectors who don’t yet own any of the main catalogues.
http://www.inumis.com/rome/books/cohen/vol_i/imperator.html